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Conservation First Needs More Work - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

Conservation First Needs More Work

Jan 13th, 2015 5:08 AM

Toronto, 13 Jan. 2015 - Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner says he’s adopting a wait-and-see attitude towards the government’s Conservation First philosophy. In releasing his 2014 Energy Conservation Progress Report “Planning to Conserve”, Gord Miller praised the shift to considering cost-effective conservation before building new generation or transmission facilities. “Conservation has long been undervalued, and last year the government made significant progress in changing that by reorienting its energy policy.” Miller pointed to a number of positive changes in conservation policy: “These are all good improvements and will help the government put flesh on the bones of its Conservation First philosophy,” says Miller. “But I have to point out a couple of developments that give me pause, and hold me back from an unqualified endorsement of the government’s new conservation policy. “The government has spent the last decade trying to encourage the public to adopt a “Culture of Conservation”,” says the Environmental Commissioner. “Now, with its new approach to peak demand reduction, it appears to have forgotten that effort. A recent study shows that public interest and engagement in conservation in Ontario has hit an all-time low. That should concern all of us in the long run.” Download the Environmental Commissioner’s full Energy Conservation Progress Report for 2014, “Planning to Conserve” at eco.on.ca.
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For more information, contact: Hayley Easto Communications and Outreach Coordinator Environmental Commissioner of Ontario 416-325-3371 / 416-819-1673 1-800-701-6454 hayley.easto@eco.on.ca Aussi disponible en français The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario is the province's independent environmental watchdog. Appointed by the Legislative Assembly, the ECO monitors and reports on compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights, the government's progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and its actions towards achieving greater energy conservation in Ontario.